Curtain support



May 23, 1939. DAWES 9 2,159,425

CURTAIN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 29, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,M/ 2;; W 1? a I a} INVENTOR.

Q? ATTORNEYS.

HGI'PLSOIIJZ Dav z'es Ma 23, 1939. H. H. DAVIES CURTAIN SUPPORT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed NOV. 29, 1937 Harp onHDaU ies INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to curtain supports designed primarily for use in supporting drawcurtains, one of the objects being to provide a supporting rod mounted in a new and novel manner whereby said rod is maintained under constant tension so as practically to eliminate sagging and thus support the curtains evenly.

It is a further object to provide the supporting rod with attaching means whereby said rod can be mounted either between the sides of a door or window-frame or upon the faces thereof.

Another object is to provide means for insuring easy and correct movement of the curtain along its'supporting rod while being actuated by the operating cords.

A still further object is to provide means for varying the tension of the supporting rod, the tensioning means being protected at all times from dust and moisture.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

Insaid drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of portions of one side of a pair of curtains suspended by means of the structure constituting the present invention.

I 35 Figure 2 is an elevation of the upper portion of the curtain and its valance, as viewed from the side opposite to that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 1, a portion of the valance being shown in section.

40 ing the curtain-operating means.

Figure 5 is an enlarged elevation of one of the end brackets forming a part of the supporting means, the t'ensioned rod being shown in section.

Figure 6 is a section on line 66, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the curtain strips.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of one of the runners used in connection with the apparatus.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of another runner.

Figure 10 is an elevation of a modified form of bracket.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference designates the base plate of a bracket provided with suitably arranged openings for the reception of attaching means of any preferred type whereby said plate can be attached to supporting surfaces of wood, masonry, or any other on material. Extendingfrom the bracket is a socket v Figure 4 is a view more or less in diagram showmember 2 having an axial bore 3 one end portion of which is screw-threaded as at I. Reenforcing ribs 5 are made integral with the socket member 2 and plate I and are diametrically opposed while extending laterally from the socket member 2 in opposite directions are ears 6 and I provided with openings 8 and 9 respectively. The opening 8 in ear 6 is adapted to receive a pivot bolt l0 extending through the forked end I l of a block l2, said end straddling ear 6 and being adapted to swing relative thereto about the bolt l0. Block I2, as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 5, is provided with a pair of pulley wheels or spools indicated at l3 and I4.

Seated in the socket member 2 is the threaded end of a tubular nipple which can be fastened in place by a lock nut I6 and the free end of this nipple is closed by a screw cap I! having an opening 13 in the center thereof.

A plug is slidably secured in nipple 15 at that end located in the socket 2 and has an axial opening 2| one end of which is flared as shown at 22.

It is to be understood that two brackets such as herein described are to be used, one of them being attached to the inner sides of each side of the window or door-frame F as shown for example in Figure 1. When the brackets are thus located the nipples l5 will aline and be extended toward each other. can in fact be a heavy wire or a metal cable either of which can be composed of copper coated with tin to prevent deterioration. The end portions of the rod 23 are slidably mounted in the openings l8 and extend through the plugs 20, the terminals of the wire being folded or looped back, as shown at 24, so as to lie within the flared ends 22 .of openings .2] and thus prevent the rod from pulling out of the member 20. A compression spring is arranged in each nipple l5 so as to thrust in opposite directions against cap I! and member 20 respectively. By means of cap 11 the compression of the spring engaged thereby can be increased or reduced so that the rod 23 can be maintained under proper tension.

When it is desired to assemble the rod 23 with the brackets, the nipples are detached from the brackets and, with their caps, are slid onto the rod adjacent to the end thereof. The rod is cut to proper length, springs 25 are placed thereon and within the nipples, members 20 are slid onto the rods, and said rods are then folded back so as to assume substantially the shape shown at 24. The nipples I5 are screwed into engage ment with the sockets 2 and the caps I! will thrust through the springs 25 and against the member 20 so as to place rod 23 under tension. This tension can be increased by feeding the nippies l'5' into the sockets 2 as far as they will go A supporting rod 23 which and subsequently screwing the caps I'I onto the nipples.

Under some conditions it is desirable to support curtains outside of frame F. In that event brackets slightly modified in construction are employed. One of these has been shown in Figure 10 wherein the attaching plate 26 has a flange 21 projecting at right angles therefrom and the socket member 28 which corresponds with the member 2 is extended from this flange with its axis substantially parallel with plate 26. This flange has oppositely extending ears 29 corresponding with the ears 6 and 1, one of these ears being provided for pivotal engagement by the pulley block indicated by broken lines at 30 in Figure 10. The nipple 3| corresponds with nipple l5 and has a cap 32 for sliding engagement by the supporting rod 33. These parts are all duplicates of the ones shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Before the rod 23 or 33 is assembled with the brackets as heretofore explained, a pair of elongated tubular runners 34 are mounted on the central portion thereof while a number of shorter tubular runners 35 are mounted on the rods between the nipples and the elongated runners. Loops 36 are fixedly attached to the runners 34 and depend therefrom while another loop 31 can be fixedly attached to the middle portion of each runner 34 and extended laterally therefrom. Each of the other runners 35 has a single loop 38 fixedly attached thereto as shown. The curtains C to be supported and operated are adapted to come together and lap when closed and each curtain has a strip 39 therein along its top edge and adjacent to those edges of the curtains which come together. These strips serve to maintain the meeting portions of the two curtains substantially flat and strips 39 have hooks 40 which are adapted to engage in the loops 36 of the respective runners 34. At intermediate points suitable hooks 4| are attached to the curtain and engage the loops 38. Thus, as shown in Figure l, the curtains will be properly supported, the free side edges thereof, whichare the edges which come together, being supported by the short strips 39.

The other edges of the curtains, which are the edges nearest the side frame F, are held in place by means of hooks 42 seated in the opening in ear 1 so that the curtains are thus prevented from pulling away from the sides of the frame.

For the purpose of operating the curtains, a cord is arranged as shown in Figure 4. One end of the cord is suspended from one of the pulleys l3 and may be provided with a grip 43. From this pulley the cord is extended and fastened to one of the loops 3! and then under and over the other pulley E3 to the other loop 31 where it is fastened. From this loop the cord extends under and over the'pulley I4 adjacent to the first named pulley l3 and thence across the frame opening to the other pulley I4 and downwardly to the grip 44. This cord has been indicated generally at and, as shown, substantially at one length.

Obviously by mounting the cord as stated, a downward pull on grip 43 will cause the cord to pull on loop 31 carried by one of the guides 34 so as to move said guide toward one side of the frame while that portion of the cord fastening airound the opposed pulley 13 will pull the other guide 34 in the opposite direction. The directions of movement have been indicated by the arrows in Figure 4; As a result thereof the curtains will be drawn apart, the runners moving smoothly along the supporting rod which is main tained at all times under tension so as to prevent sagging under the weight of the curtain. By pulling on the other grip 44 the motion of the curtains will be reversed so that they will come together.

If desired a valance 46 can be supported across the frame opening at one side of the clearance, this valance being mounted on a wire 41 one end of which is fastened in the ear I of one of the brackets while the other end is fastened to a coiled spring 48 housed in the valance and attached to the ear I of the other bracket. This spring is constantly under tension so that the wire 41 is likewise held under tension and the valance thus supported properly in position.

Where the brackets are constructed as. shown in Figure 10, they can be fastened to the face of a frame so that the curtain and the valance can thus be supported outside of the frame instead of between the sides thereof.

Although the runners have been shown in the form of tubes, it is to be understood that under some conditions, especially where the curtains are extremely heavy, ordinary pulleys could be mounted on the rod for reducing friction during the actuation of the curtains.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a flexible curtain supporting element and means for anchoring it at one end, of a combined attaching and tensioning means at the other end of said device, comprising a plate for attachment to a supporting structure, a socket member integral there-with, a tubular nipple adjustably mounted within and extending from the socket member, a slide within the nipple, one end of said flexible supporting member being extended into the nipple and anchored to the slide, .an adjustable closure for one end of the nipple, a spring within the nipple and bearing at opposite ends against the closure and plug respectively.

2. The combination with a flexible curtain supporting element and means for anchoring it at one end, of a combined attaching and tensioning means at the other end of said device, comprising a plate for attachment to a supporting structure, a socket member integral therewith, a tubular nipple adjustably mounted within .and extending from the socket member, a

slide within the nipple, one end of said flexible supporting member being extended into the nipple and anchored to the slide, an adjustable closure for one end of the nipple, a spring within the nipple and bearing at opposite ends against the closure and lug respectively, means engaging the socket member and nipple for locking said nipple against rotation.

3. The combination with a flexible curtain supporting element and means for anchoring it at one end, of a combined attaching and tensioning means .at the other end of said device, comprising a plate for attachment to a supporting structure, a socket member integral therewith, a tubular nipple adjustably mounted within and extending from the socket member, a slide within the nipple, one end of said flexible supporting member being extended into the nipple and anchored to the slide, an adjustable closure for one end of the nipple, a spring within the nipple and bearing at opposite ends against the closure and plug respectively, and reenforcing means integral with the attaching plate and socket member and radiating from said socket member, one of said means constituting a pulley support.

HARRISON H. DAVIES. 

